The Porch Project

I was reviewing old blog posts and realized that I had neglected to finish one I had started from 2010.  It was a stroll down memory lane for me and I thought you might enjoy it as well.

It was a sad looking little farm house when we first bought the farm. Tired paint colors, strange porch railing, no front steps, broken lattice. Just sad. Sniff.

The Porch - Before

Then Pop devised a plan. He and I bought wood. We bought ballusters, 4x4s, 2x6s, stair treads and risers. We asked for help - lots of it - even more help than wood. We followed Pop's direction and leadership and put the wood together to create a new porch to make the house look happier. Oh, yeah - we also repaired and painted the house. It took us much of the spring and summer. We think it was worth it.

Our renovated porch already holds many memories...late night visits...iced drinks while sitting in rocking chairs...Fourth of July celebrations, etc.  Good stuff.

The Porch - After

X Does Not Necessarily Mark The Spot!

Jewels and I were on a mission...Stop the ridiculous squeak in the floor of the master bedroom.

So we got out the screws Pop had purchased for this purpose and got started.  We used math, we measured, we used deductive reasoning, we popped a chalk line, we used a drill.  We even used the knowledge that in the room below (before it was finished) there was a neat row of nails that were intended to hit a floor joist but missed.  We thought it would be a simple job that wouldn't take much time.  After all, this task was on my "productive procrastination" list.

So we began.  After screwing in a number of screws that seemed to help only slightly we employed the use of another tool.  A long piece of copper wire.  We removed screws and inserted the wire into the holes...if the wire hit wood we circled the hole...if it didn't, we marked it with an "X".

It might not have been the most scientific approach but we eventually identified the line where the screws SHOULD go.  Now we have some extra holes in the sub floor now but they won't hurt anything...as far as we know, anyway.

What are Pop and Grammy up to?

Working on the farm house, of course!

They have been too busy to blog and I have been taking over the world with all of our moving/new house drama.

So here they are.  In all their glory.  Living the dream.

P.S. In a month or so I will launch a new blog and leave Four Sisters Farm for Grammy.  Don't worry, we can all continue to post here as well. 

The AC Saga of 2011

We moved in over Memorial Day weekend.  The weather got extremely hot shortly after we moved in.  The AC unit was not keeping up. 

So, we called our home warranty company.  They assured us that they would send someone out. 

A few days later a repairman came and "charged" the AC unit. 

A day or two later it was not working again. 

We called the warranty company again. 

They sent someone out a few days later. 

The repairman discovered a broken part.  So, he ordered said part.  He told us it could be several days for the part to arrive. 

Several days later, the part was shipped...to the wrong town. 

Finally the repairmen had the part in their possession.  They called to see if they could come out a few days later.  We informed them that we would be out of town.  Could we do it as soon as we returned?  No, they couldn't put it on the books.  The scheduler would have to call us.  EJ gave the scheduler our cell phone number and asked them to PLEASE call us and set up a time ASAP.  No call.  When we returned we called and got on the schedule two days later. 

Today is that day.

The AC saga of 2011 was supposed to be over today.

Unfortunately, when the repairman arrived he discovered that he did not have the correct part.

EJ and I are so done with this. 

EJ called our warranty company and explained to them what a terrible experience this has been.  He asked them to expidite the part or lower our out of pocket amount or both.

They agreed to expedite the part.  Win.

They agreed to refund our service call fee.  Win.  (we still have to pay our part of the repair)

Then he called the AC repairmen and asked to be put on the schedule ASAP.  We are still waiting for a confirmation on that one.

Praise the Lord this house has two AC units.  We can sleep in comfort.  However, we cannot cook, eat, do laundry or entertain in comfort.  On house work days I literally sweat all day long.

I do not want to be a big whiner.  There are much bigger more important issues in this world.  I am just tired of being hot.

I notice I am a little grumpy in this heat.

Hmmm....perhaps that is why EJ is a little more likely to work evenings.  :)

dynamic duo

Sod is on it's way to Four Sisters Farm.  Pop and Grammy have been prepping for the big day.

One of the tasks was to remove rocks from the dirt where the sod would be laid.

Enter the dynamic duo of Grammy and Wubba.

First Wubba digs up some dirt

Next he dumps it on the rake

Then Grammy dumps it in the colander

Then they "shake it don't break it baby"

Now it is time to carry it to the wheel barrow

and dump it right in

Look at all those rocks!

Grammy and Wubba are a fantastic team!

Handy Grammy Strikes Again!

When I was super pregnant with Wubba, Bubba got the flu.  Then our washer pooped out on us.  So, like any crazy hormonal woman would do, I grabbed my husband and marched right to the store.

Mommy, Bubba and Wubba (in the tummy) 2007

We purchased a top of the line front load washer and dryer.  We spent a small fortune.  I didn't care.  I was about to give birth and my toddler was puking on everything.  I was desperate.

At first I was in love.  It worked like a charm.  Then just a few months into our ownership it started to show it's ugly side.  Luckily we had purchased a one year service agreement so the repairs were covered for that year.  We have had a lot of service calls that we paid out of pocket for since then.

As you know, Grammy saved the day by learning how to clean out the pump trap.  She has saved me LOTS of money with that little fix.  (We have to do it every few months at least)

Well, last night, EJ and I were enjoying yet another episode of Burn Notice, when we heard what sounded like a power tool hard at work.  At first we thought Pop and Grammy were working on a project downstairs.  That seemed strange.  It was late at night, the cowboys were sleeping and last thing we knew Pop and Grammy were watching TV downstairs.

We jumped up to investigate only to find it was our washing machine.  It was making some seriously crazy noises.  Oh goody.  Another repair man call. 

This morning I called for an appointment.  I set it up for Monday.  I was informed that the labor rate would be $129 + parts or I could pay a cool $344 for a year long maintenance agreement.

When Grammy came up this morning for coffee, I told her my washing machine tale.  I ranted about how much money this jewel of a washer had cost for the past 3 1/2 years.  Then I told her I was going to buy a top loader and be done with it.

Handy Grammy got that look in her eye.  I know the look.  It's the one that says, "I bet we can fix this."  Next thing I knew she was searching on the Internet for ways to fix my model of washing machine.  After some research she headed confidently to the washer, pulled back the rubber seal and dislodged one of EJ's dress socks from between the washer's drums.

I have run two loads since and all is well in washing machine land.

Handy Grammy, you rock my socks off!  Or maybe EJ's.

P.S. Can I just add that this is one more blessing of multi-generational living.  You benefit from the skills of 4 grown ups. :)

Done! The Interior Staircase

We finally pulled down the curtain hiding the mess that we call the interior staircase. I put away all the things I had stored (okay, hidden) on the steps and drug the rolls of carpet down and out of the way so we could get going on it.

What we thought was about a four day project turned into a bit more than that but it always does...and we just keep doing more.

The purple wall you see is actually a special type of sheet rock that helps deaden noise. Good thing since our bedroom is on the other side. It's worth the extra cost.

My hero, Pop, took the lead and figured out what all we needed and how to put it all together. He always asks my opinion and listens to my outrageous ideas, then we get to work. I've beome a pretty good construction assistant. Most of the time I know when to be quiet, when is a good time to ask questions, which tool will be needed next, how to work certain equipment (like the air compressor powered nail gun), etc; so Pop and I make a pretty good team.


My latest outrageous idea was to put drawers into the last step/landing to house family games in. Pop's idea for the last step/landing was to have a place for the grandkids to use as a stage. I think both ideas were good ones and Pop figured out how to make it happen.

The cowboys thought we should just take out the stairs and put in a slide. That would be fun!

Pop graciously acted like Vanna to show off the newly completed project in the following pic. I think he's pretty proud of his work - and he should be!


I think I'll keep him around another 35 years or so. The better he gets at doing these projects and the more tools he accumulates makes me think I'd better add some items to my honey do list!

You'll see another post about our next project soon. Stay tuned.

Nail gun wielding Grammy

Pop and Grammy are hard at work.  They are fixing up a stair case.  The cowboys are loving this project because they can look down the stair case and watch.

I even put Q's high chair in a place where he can see them and "fix" his toys.

Wubba thinks they are kind of noisy but still wants to watch.

Now, seriously, how cute is my Mother?  She can bake a mean batch of cookies, sew up a storm and apparently also handily wield a nail gun. 

You rock Mom!

Paint Bucket Blues

Most of the time, I am inside...doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, teaching, taking care of baby Q and his big brothers.

There are a lot of projects in the works at Four Sisters Farm.  There is always something going on.  I rarely get to help because as I stated above...I am inside.  I do, however, feed the people and that does make them happy.

Anyhow, two glorious days, I got to help.  EJ's mom came and picked up the boys so they could spend a little time with them.  This meant both EJ and I could help Pop and Grammy paint the garage.  Although it's not "fun" work I was glad to be doing it.  I happily climbed my ladder and participated as part of the team...

 

That's where it all went wrong.

Somehow I dropped my paint bucket full of grey paint onto the newly painted white garage door and the concrete below it.  FANTASTIC.

The wind was totally out of my sails!  I told Grammy maybe I wasn't qualified for this work.  She smiled, laughed and said, "You aren't getting out of this that easily.  Climb back up that ladder." 

So I did.

I am happy to report that we got my mess cleaned up and EJ even covered my gray splashes with white paint.  All is right again.

The Front Porch - Before and After

There may not be much of a need for words but I have some anyway...When we bought the farm in 2008 we knew there was a lot of work to be done but we were okay with that. We were buying much more than 40 acres, a house, and some out buildings. We were buying a dream. The house was not why we bought the place but we wanted it be inviting. You may have read some about the painting of the house, renovations in the basement, and the list goes on. The work will continue until we die, but it's all a part of "living' the dream" as Pop and I say.

We are thankful for the four sisters of Four Sisters Farm and their awesome husbands who lend us a hand when they can. Thanks to them, we have a house that as Pop says, "looks like someone actually lives here and cares about the place."

A tale of bravery and lots of dirty, wet laundry

Once upon a time there was a pitiful looking garage roof. 

It had rotting wood and tar covered shingles.  It was a sad sight to behold.

One day (which turned into a weekend) a team of brave heroes came to the rescue!  Pop lead the charge with Doc, EJ, PhoJo and Romeo (The four sisters' men if you are new here). 

DW even got in on a little roofing action.  This team was strong and determined. 

They worked many hours in dangerous conditions. 

They laughed in the face of the wind and rain that tried to back them down.

When the last shingle was nailed to the roof they raised their nail guns and cried out...VICTORY!!!

Giving the 'ol house a face lift

Grammy give us her best thumbs up in an attempt to get excited about the work day ahead.  

Perhaps the coffee she holds in her hand will do the trick.

The cowboys and the super heroes work on cleaning the siding.  

Even the littlest of the crew were expected to do their part.

The color on the left is the new color.  Beautiful.

Some hard workers take a break for lunch.

More updates to come...

Laundromats are not for sissies!

You know that the washing machine quit at Four Sisters Farm. (sigh) You know that I (Handy Grammy) tried to fix it but couldn't. But the laundry in a household of four adults and three children (one an infant) doesn't stop just because there is no handy way to wash it.

We had one week to dirty, spit up on, etc. as many clothes and linens as possible before the repairman would be back with the pump to fix the washer.

Enter the laundromat...I'm not sure who owns/manages the local one but it's not the nicest place to spend an afternoon. I wasn't sure that the clothes would actually be clean when I was finished there. As I loaded up machines and put quarter after quarter into the things, I encountered several broken machines (two of which were not marked and took some of my quarters before I figured it out and one of which had standing, stinky water in it) and tried to selectively set things where they wouldn't fall into pools of sticky spots of partially dried liquid detergent or fabric softner.

Farm Chick had EJ help her get set up there one afternoon while I stayed with the cowboys...

then Pop and I took a turn.

I can hardly believe how much it costs to wash a load at a laundromat ($1.75 for a small top loader, $2.50 for a "normal-sized" front loader, or $5.00 for a double-sized)...and we had to wash a BUNCH of loads...then we had to dry them! I quit counting the quarters after a while and got my exercise picking up clothes and putting them back into the dryer with the door that would NOT stay closed.

I'm guessing that a person could easily make payments on a washer and dryer instead of feeding quarters into machines and be done with it. It's possible that hauling laundry makes me grumpy...all I know is I'll be happy to use the washer when it's fixed. And that's all I have to say about that.

Handy Grammy

I think Farm Chick may have started something with her blog about failures here at Four Sisters Farm.

I started a load of laundry this morning and the washer sounded funny...funny peculiar - not funny "ha ha" (Are you hearing me WKRP in Cincinnati fans? I know I'm dating myself). Then the crazy thing quit and displayed a error code. Great. So I pulled the washer out and got busy. (Note to Farm Chick - I'm adhering to the "woman code" and not divulging everything I found under and behind the washer some of it may or may not have been mine.)

After unscrewing umpteen screws on the back of the machine with Pop's screwdriver-socket-looking thingy, I found that I couldn't get to what I needed to; so I checked out the front - just two screws later (there used to be three but someone has been in there before me) I found what I needed...figures. I put the back of the washer back on and got busy.

I found the trouble-shooting guide inside the door I removed and the list of error codes...now I felt like I was getting somewhere! Lookout repairmen everywhere! I'm after your job! Ha!

I opened up the tube looking thing where the drain filter is and found...well...lots of water first of all. Good thing I had a load of dirty towels so close to the washer, huh?

There was so much water, I had to get a couple of things to catch it in. The dish also came in handy to collect all the stuff from the filter.

For all my trouble, I received $2.14, two baby mittens, a baby sock that used to be yellow, one button, a key to who knows what (possibly Doc's pickup??), two rusted drill bits, three screws, one nut, a used staple (also rusted), and a variety of twigs, lint, and goo.

After all that, I put back together the front of the washer and started my load again. I'd like to tell you that all was good with my appliance repair but the darn thing still doesn't work right and I ended up having to drain all the water from the load again...manually...but at least there wasn't any more gunk in it...just clean laundry water that actually smelled nice and was warm.

I've set up the service call for tomorrow morning. I'll keep you posted.

I am...Handy Grammy.

Working at it...

More Floor

Whew! It's done! Here are a few pics the first one looking toward the fireplace and the second one at the bottom of the stairway from the mudroom. The colors look different in the pictures but they are actually very similar in real life.

If you want info about staining your own concrete I highly recommend this low cost way to do a really stellar floor! There are tons of info on the web - Don't pay big prices for the stain - explore homemade recipes (I used water and Copperas which is brand name for Iron Sulfate which is a plant food so to speak...the only warning on the label is "may stain concrete!"). Basically you clean the floor, stain the floor (multiple layers as desired), clean the floor, seal the floor. It's hard, time-consuming work but it pays off in HUGE dividends in what you save.

Making Progress

Whew...we are getting some things done in the basement of the farmhouse! It's been a slow go and we are clearing the hurdles as they come. We have encountered a few problems like plumbing leaks and logistical issues (you know, the domino effect - like electrical needing to be done before sheetrocking, etc.). Our electrician (who is also a family friend) was delayed due to his mom (also our friend) was in the hospital twice. We are praising God with them that she is recovering from a near death bout of infection in her bloodstream due to an abdominal abcess. Yikes!

Here are some pictures so you can see the progress...

The Kitchen! There is one of our plumbing leaks...soon to be fixed!

Master Bedroom

Bathroom

A beautiful phone jack...to be hooked up today!

Our test spot for concrete staining...also occuring today.

The entrance light.

Temporary bedroom in the basement.

We'll post more when more progress is made...We're getting excited!!